My New Mission

$340 a month.

That is what the Army deems appropriate for food.

We spend closer to $600-700 on food. Are we greedy? Do we buy fillet Mignon for every other meal? Are we wasteful? I am going to find out.

The way the Army works is that you get allotments for housing and food.

$340 is how much they think we should spend on food per month.

That's $85 a week, or approximately $12 a day.

There is an obesity epidemic in our country, and I for one understand why.

Michelle Obama has introduced a new food system called "My Plate." The basic premise is that 50% of each meal should be fruits and vegetables. Which I totally agree with. Fruits and vegetables are filled with nutrients and fiber to help you stay fuller longer. What I am struggling with is how to afford such "luxury items" like fresh vegetables. Canned and frozen items are cheap, but don't hold a candle to the fresh stuff. So, I am embarking on a mission. I will be starting another blog page, with vlogs, that show how to create delicious side dishes/meals using vegetables that are cost efficient, and healthy. I am going to try to stick to the budget of $340 for a one month time period. If I can do it so can you. The cornerstone of all of this, is to lose weight, and eat right. I have a child now, and very soon he will be starting to eat solids. I have to get into the habit of eating flavorful meals that have exciting vegetable options. That's part of our problem as Americans, we don't "showcase" vegetables. It's all about the meat.  So, I will be making daily meal plans, and making sure to have a whole grain, large vegetable portions, and a lean meat.

We are the military. We are supposed to be the leanest and healthiest group of Americans. If we can't do this, how can we expect other people to? While I realize our budget may be a little tighter than most Americans, that should doubly prove that it can be done. I will be working on this project in the coming weeks. If you would like to contribute healthy recipes and meal ideas, I will give you credit!

Here's to a long healthy life, filled with cheap vegetables.